1. Field
The disclosure relates to concrete mix casting equipment to be dismountably attached to a crane. More precisely, the disclosure relates to a method for controlling casting equipment to be dismountably attached to a crane particularly in the vertical direction, and to casting equipment to be dismountably attached to a crane and provided with said control system.
2. Description of Related Art
Casting equipment to be dismountably attached to a crane is known from the prior art. Such casting equipment is used for pouring concrete mix to various different molds, such as to horizontal table molds or vertical battery molds. Generally such casting equipment to be attached to a crane is used in element factories which are not provided with separate casting equipment arranged in connection with the molds for conveying the concrete mix to the casting mold.
When necessary, such casting equipment to be attached to a crane can also be used for temporarily raising the production capacity of an element factory.
Nearly all facilities used in element production are provided with at least one crane moving above the manufacturing space, the type of said crane often being a bridge crane, for moving cast elements from molds to storage. Thus the casting equipment to be attached to a crane can be used within a fairly wide area in the element factory.
In the art, casting equipment to be dismountably attached to a crane is set in place by attaching the casting equipment to a bridge crane by intermediation of the hook of the crane, and by lifting the casting equipment up, to the crane carriage, so that the casting equipment is at the top edge set against suitable surfaces of the crane carriage, and thus firmly supported against the crane carriage. By means of said supporting against the crane carriage, there is obtained a stable, non-swinging and firm fastening of the casting equipment to the crane, which keeps the casting equipment in the right position, also when the equipment is moved by intermediation of the crane.
The casting equipment attached to the crane is on the horizontal plane moved by moving the bridge crane along its rails, and by moving the bridge crane carriage. The vertical motion required in the casting equipment for the mix container thereof and for the pouring gate provided therein is created by specific means provided in the casting equipment, said means comprising a vertically sliding fastening of the mix container to the casting equipment, and a motor for vertically moving the mix container.
Because a regular casting machine fastened to a crane is attached to the crane through the crane hook, the vertical lifting capacity of the crane cannot be used for anything else while the casting machine is in operation. In addition, regular casting machines fastened to a crane are heavy in structure and need a considerable amount of energy while the casting machine is in operation. Moreover, a casting machine fastened to a crane is separated from all other possible automatics of the factory, and it is controlled manually, which hinders the controlling of other processes in the factory and causes potential problems, for example in the form of collisions both with other moving process equipment, such as concrete mix transport devices, and with stationary elements in the factory, such as columns and walls in the factory hall.